The subject disclosure generally relates to online shopping applications, and, in particular, to providing recommendations to participants of a social shopping trip.
Shopping is a social experience usually involving families and friends as shopping companions. When shopping together, shopping companions exchange recommendations, give opinions, suggest alternatives, exchange notes, compare prices and help one another make better decisions. In contrast, with regard to online shopping most users do not have the capability of having a social experience. Online shopping provides users with a wider range of sources for shopping and provides users with the ability to shop without having to go to an actual store, but in most cases online shopping is done alone and does not afford the same benefits as a real world shopping experience.
Various recommendations may be presented to users engaging in online shopping. These recommendations may be provided based on various considerations such as the user's browsing history and the website the user is currently visiting. While the recommendations arc somewhat personalized based on whether the user is shopping at a specific site or has recently searched a set of specific items, these recommendations are an educated guess as to the actual items a user may be looking to purchase while browsing the web.
As online social networking and interactions with contacts become more popular. It may be desirable to provide recommendations to users based on the user's social shopping experience.